Dark Ambience
by Vixeria
Summary: The two of them were practically face-to-face. Her brown eyes clashed with his golden ones, and they held for some time. The men threw the tarp overhead, breaking and averting her gaze to their actions, and from there, she could see no more... save for the remarkable glowing eyes of the prisoner directly in front of her. A/N: Darkfic. Torture. Rape. Violence. Psychological. R:MA
1. Prologue

_**A/N: If you don't want the history lesson, you can actually just skip to the divider in the middle of the prologue. The intro was very experimental to see how well I could somewhat keep to a timeline, also to lead up to certain events. Though it's not essential, the "history" lesson is just a build-up (as well as it a bit of a writing exercise).**_

_**WARNING: This is a darkfic, as such, it may contain nudity, racism, sexism, torture, gore, rape, and all that good stuff. If you aren't mature enough to handle it, please, do not read this. It's going to have some pretty dark things in it (at least, I'm attempting to write them out).**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**Prologue.**_

A full millennium before the Muromachi Era - during the Kofun and Asuka periods - youkai, hanyou, and ningen lived (not necessarily harmoniously) but amongst each other. It was during this time that religion was gradually being introduced to the people of Japan, mostly amongst ningen. Lord and Lady Anko (the reigning family during this time) welcomed the idea of religion and, for a time, the lands knew peace.

It was during this time period that one of the world's most powerful Miko came to be known. Lady Midoriko was a leader amongst her people, spreading the Word and bringing with her the wisdom of the past. Her knowledge and courageous actions led to the first stirrings of racial balance, tipping scales in ningen favor. This period was also the time where Miko were becoming famous for their diverse abilities.

Likewise, during the late Asuka period, Lord Inu no Taisho reigned over all of the West, with youkai, hanyou, and ningen within his borders. He in his prime came to know of Midoriko, and eventually, befriended her. They fought together on many an occasion, crossing paths and journeying together more often than not. It soon became known that Miko could live close to that of the lifespan of a youkai. During the start of the Nara period, racism became apparent, and their nations began to literally rip itself apart from the inside out.

Buddhism was rapidly expanding, and with it came the ancient monks' intent of teaching the citizens of Japan the Truth. Many a Miko was subjected to this radically different concept and practice, corrupting their ways of the native traditional Shinto. Money became a prevalent factor right at the heart of Japan. Government authority became constantly challenged by provincial officials, which inevitably led to both social and political unrest during the last few decades of the Nara period.

During the early Heian period. in the year 809 A.D., Lord Inu no Taisho's first heir was birthed. Japan experienced a relatively long period of peace and the political strength was holding. It wasn't until the late Heian Era that everything began to decline. The Fujiwara family - who had been the reigning family for many centuries after Lord and Lady Anko - met their demise by the joining hands of the ever-growing military forces. The lands were beginning to split apart and both Midoriko and Inu no Taisho were facing the start of the Kamakura period.

Military forces joined together to conquer the lands, each attempting to gain both land and power. Many youkai and Miko became sacrificial as a means to cut losses. Soon enough, Miko became scarce and very apparent that one born with a Miko's abilities is usually not seen for many a century. Many Daiyoukai lost their lives during the wars in the Kamakura period. Lady Midoriko perished in an attempt to save her people from an onslaught of youkai.

Sometime later, Lord Inu no Taisho lost his own life to the reigning leader of the dragon youkai, Ryuukotsusei, and at the same time, welcomed his second child to this dangerous Era. By now, it was common knowledge that Miko and Daiyoukai were few and far between, so rare were they, that ningen sought to collect them for their own personal use, though with much difficulty. It was quite a feat to even get close to capturing one of either. Those that did, however, had in their arsenal, a weapon powerful enough to make all of Japan bow down in fear.

* * *

Her prone figure was bent in one of the most uncomfortable positions known to man. She knelt, not by choice, in the center of a crate, chained awkwardly in an attempt to keep her movements as minimal as possible. On her knees, her body was bent forward to where her chin very nearly touched the floor, locked in place by a collar meant to subdue her Miko abilities. Her arms were chained harshly behind her back, forcing her chest forward, her shoulders pointing back because of the angle. Her wrists were red from the constant tugging of the shackles that were placed there. Her knees were bent harshly beneath her, making her wonder if she could even still stand, blood circulation having been cut off long ago. Her legs were spread with her knees and ankles locked in place by braces made specifically for her.

She had long ago lost feeling in her arms and legs. She was fairly certain that should she be released, she'd be nothing but a sack of potatoes laying across the floor. She hadn't slept comfortably in such a long time, and everything fed to her was simple beans and rice... with no flavor. She knew she was lucky to even be alive, and she knew she fought long and hard. She just... hadn't taken into account that betrayal could be a possible factor that had led to this ultimatum.

She supposed it didn't matter now; it didn't matter how she ended up here. The fact was, she was captured and now she would do her captor's bidding, whatever it may be. Being like this for the last forty years... she was used to it. It was sad that you could 'get used to' something like this, but really, it couldn't be helped. Her will was hardly broken, however, her mind still as sharp as ever. The defiance very clearly still prevailed across her features, even in such a position.

At the moment, they had a harness on her head, locking her jaw so she couldn't speak and give away their position to enemies nearby. She was being transported, to where, she wasn't sure, but she knew that wherever she may be going, it would be worse than the last. She leaned a little to her left, the chains rustling ever so slightly. Had it not been for the chains, she probably wouldn't have been upright at all.

The wagon finally stopped. Voices were heard, speaking in a language foreign to her. She could hear the shake of a bag of coins. Then, there was sudden light flooding the crate. They had moved the tarp from above her and thrown it to the side. They lifted her crate from the wagon and carried her over to another wagon before sliding her in next to another crate. They were transporting slaves. She was placed next to another who was in a similar position as she. The only difference being that his long hair was pulled tight and tied to a side of the crate to force his neck to crane and his face to remain up and forward.

The two of them were practically face-to-face. Her brown eyes clashed with his golden ones, and they held for some time. The men threw the tarp overhead, breaking and averting her gaze to their actions, and from there, she could see no more, save for the remarkable glowing eyes of the prisoner directly in front of her. Even with her power subdued, she knew what the individual across from her was. She didn't need her reiki to tell her that the person across from her was mighty powerful; you could see the power in his eyes. And just from looks alone, it would be a problem for all involved should he ever be able to escape.

She leaned to her right, a minuscule adjustment, even if comfort was a far stretch. She was beyond the point of restlessness, itching to leave this nightmarish hell hole she had inadvertently placed herself in. She swore, if the emperor were to ever show his face in front of her... she'd make him pay. Dearly.

Little did she know that the demon across from her had similar thoughts of vengeance coursing through his own mind. He studied her face, heart-shaped, a little rounder than most women her age. Her midnight-black hair disappearing behind her and blending into the darker shadows of the crate. She wore the traditional garbs of a Miko, high in status, but of seemingly no importance any longer. Her eyes were hard, narrowed in defiance. Stubbornness practically rolled off of her in waves.

Idly, he wondered if she had been imprisoned for as long as he.

* * *

_**"I don't know where this is going, but won't you join me and see how it goes anyway?"**_


	2. Travel & Arrival

_**A/N: Updates will be attempted to be made every Tuesday/Wednesday.**_

_**WARNING: This is a darkfic, as such, it may contain nudity, racism, sexism, torture, gore, rape, and all that good stuff. If you aren't mature enough to handle it, please, do not read this. It's going to have some pretty dark things in it (at least, I'm attempting to write them out).**_

_**Enjoy.**_

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_**Travel & Arrival**_

They were stopping yet again. Whatever journey they were all on, it was certainly a long one. They were stopped at a crossroads, and from what it sounded like, the men driving the 'merchandise' were arguing before the tarp was once again removed. They looked up and one of them clicked his tongue about something before placing their barred crates on the ground... though the word 'placing' was a vast understatement.

The man dragged the the crates out of the wagon and practically dumped them on the side of the road right where they were before dragging them to some grass on the side. He reached into her crate and, with a bit of struggle, untied her Miko garments to somewhat slide her bottoms down and out of the way of her nether regions. He lifted her top somewhat and then commanded her to do something, though because of the language barrier, she knew not what. His actions, however, were ones she'd seen other 'handlers' do, and with closed eyes, she released herself right then and there. At least he had been kind enough to not let her soil her clothing...

He didn't bother cleaning her, however as he released her clothing and did the same for the demon male that had been oh-so-carefully placed beside her. He was rougher with him then he was with her, though. Forcing his hakama down his thighs and ripping the material in the process, leaving a red mark on the demon's thighs. The demon, she could tell, was rebellious. She idly wondered if the whole reason for the man being a bit more gentle with her was because she was ningen and not youkai.

Of course, he had to have know that he couldn't just hold it in. All three of them knew that. She closed her eyes and the next thing she knew, she both heard and smelled the defecation coming from the demon. It was, perhaps, one of the most demeaning things that's ever been forced on either of them. But, in truth, what could you do but to give in to the will of the others and idly await an opportunity for freedom? When the... sounds... stopped, she dared to open her eyes right before the man yelled something, hobbled a couple of steps, and then promptly puked beside the demon.

He kind of deserved it. She smirked at his inability to handle simple bodily fluids. Being a Miko, she had been trained to be able to handle these sorts of a situations, so she never even so much as grimaced. After all, poison victims had explosions all over the place, and as a Miko, it was her duty to take care of it. All of it. Though it was cause for concern as well... the male in front of her was sick. That much she could tell from the color of the skin on his thighs, the thinness of muscle, and the lack of overall body mass.

He had no choice now. The man cleaned the demon up, albeit rather crudely by ripping his hoari and using it as a wipe before carelessly tossing it aside. The man left them like that, however, and dragged them both back over to the wagon, tossing them both on with a heave and haphazardly throwing the tarp back over.

This time, their crates were so close to each other, their faces were a mere few inches apart. His eyes were closed, no doubt in an attempt to escape the reality of the situation. For a proud demon, especially high up on the food chain, to be belittled as much as he has already has, was, no doubt, disgraceful. He opened his eyes again, and the surprise was evident in his eyes when his gaze met hers.

"Who are you?" She asked, whispering through clenched teeth so as not to be heard. The harness that locked her jaw in place made talking difficult but not impossible. She hoped the demon at least spoke the same language as her - Japanese was so hard to come by these days.

For a long while, the demon considered not answering the young woman before him. With his youki tightly wrapped in a spell meant to keep him in chains, his strength and ability was little more than a human's. He locked his gaze with the young woman... at least she spoke a language he understood. Even though he'd been in this country for a long time, he knew that he was a far cry from being able to speak the language here.

His body was failing him, and he could feel it. He could smell it in the stench upon defecating. He could feel how his muscles were diminishing. He had constant headaches these days... perhaps from lack of proper food and rest. He could practically feel his ribcage protruding from his skin. He skeletal structure was sure to become prominent within another week or two if he didn't get proper care soon. He wished they hadn't declawed him... getting out of the shackles that held him would have been an easy task. Though, it hadn't been easy to declaw him for the ningen either.

He was losing focus. The young woman asked him a question. What was it? Should he answer? "I am Lord Inu no Taisho's heir to the West, Lord Sesshomaru." Well, that solved the dilemma he had earlier.

"My name is Higurashi, Kagome," she replied back through her clenched teeth, "a pleasure to meet you, though I do wish under better circumstances."

The demon lord couldn't even nod his affirmation. Had the situation been different he, perhaps, would have been pleased to meet the woman. "You are Miko." It was a definite statement, though he wanted her to prove him wrong.

"Correct," she replied, "and you are a demon, obviously." There was a few moments of awkward silence, save for a small coughing fit that bubbled up from her. There was a shout from one of the two men driving the wagon, which she took as a sign for to be quiet. "How did you get captured?" She finally whispered.

"Holy ambush, approximately thirty," he responded after some time. He normally really wasn't one to talk, but by the Gods, it was someone he could actually SPEAK to. Surely there was no fowl in this. And try as he might to deny it, it was somewhat relieving to be able to speak to another intelligent being.

"Definitely not Miko, then," she responded, attempting to twitch her fingers to see if she still had feeling in them. Sure enough, she could move them, not well, but it was nice to know her fingers worked. "Miko work singularly or with a single partner."

"Corrupted Miko work with others," he responded. "But no, these were Buddhist monks."

"I see," she said, wanting to twitch her head in a nod, "and you are correct, corrupt Miko do work like that."

For a time, they were quiet again. There were a few shouts and then, suddenly, their wagons were completely tipped over from a gust of wind. With an 'mmph', the two of them landed, the barred crates clinging as they hit dirt and gravel. The chains kept them securely in place, however, and for Sesshomaru, not a hair out of place. Sesshomaru's crate had landed a ways on it's side away from the wagon. Kagome's crate landed completely upside down, a bit farther away, but close by Sesshomaru's crate.

Sesshomaru was faced away from her, giving her a view of his crudely not-so-clean backside. However, saving face were farthest from either of their minds at the moment. Yelps of pain could be heard behind them, following by a crunch and gurgling sound. Next they knew, a woman appeared next to them, eyeballing them before gaining a crooked grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"You two are going to be a wonderful addition to my breeding pen," she said before nodding her head. Two individuals came close and lifted their crates, not bothering to place them right side up, and hauled them into, would you guess it, another wagon.

"My apologies," Sesshomaru muttered when, once again, their crates were placed side by side, but with him facing away from her.

Kagome grimaced slightly - that man really didn't clean them that well... of course, her not at all. Nevertheless, "It's not your fault," she whispered. "I don't know about you, but I could go for nice hot steaming meal, fit for a princess."

"Princesses don't eat that much," he replied back. Even being as a captive for as long as he has been, he was appalled at having his dirty backside in the face of a young lady, even if she was human. The wagon lurched forward, finally, but headed in another direction. At least this time, they didn't have a tarp overhead.

* * *

A mist had arisen, blocking the sun and most of it's rays as the wagon trudged through. From what little could be seen, they were on a dirt path, headed uphill. When the wagon finally stopped, it had appeared that they had finally arrived at their destination.

They were removed from the wagon and taken up into what looked to be a rather large palace. It was fairly dark, albeit even a bit foreboding, as they were deposited in the main hall of the palace. The same woman from before appeared before them with a rather malicious grin. "Such fine specimens," she said as she tapped on their crates. "Remove their restraints, but keep their collars in place, no need to be gentle with them, I'm fairly certain they cannot even stand."

The crates were practically busted open and the chains practically ripped from their bodies, ripping their clothing and bruising their already delicate skin. When the shackles had been removed, Kagome couldn't even attempt to stand and simply fell over in a stiff heap. She hadn't used any of her muscles in forty years. It felt like her arms and legs were made of pure lead. Her legs felt permanently bent in the way they were now.

"Now, kiddies," she said, "let's exercise."

They were carried, quite awkwardly due to the position of their arms and legs, to another room further in the palace. With a glare, Kagome stared up at the face of the one who carried her. Sesshomaru was much in the same boat. She wondered how long he'd been like that. She assumed, very possibly, just as long as she, if not, longer.

They were placed in the center of another room atop a table. The lighting was fairly dim, as was expected considering there were only candles in the room. The scent given off the candles was of soft lavender, a rather relaxing smell given the circumstances. Their clothes were all but ripped from their bodies, torn with a knife to be cut from their skin. Once fully nude, two others joined the room and Sesshomaru was swiftly put to the side.

The two helpers walked to the other side of the table, holding her down at the waist and legs so as to keep her from moving. Fear began bubbling to the forefront of her mind, afraid of what may happen next. She didn't have the chance to even ask what they were doing before they dislocated her left shoulder, snapping out of place with a deafening pop. She was so shocked, at first, that she didn't even make a sound. When the pain finally registered, she cried out, tears collecting at the corners of her eyes and sliding down her face. Quickly, a belt was shoved between her teeth, having taken the opportunity while her mouth was wide open from the initial shock.

They repeated their process with the other shoulder before they placed her on her back. She was in a somewhat cradled position on her back - her legs were still very stiff from misuse. No sooner had they had her on her back that they began the process of popping her shoulders right back into place, eliciting even more painful cries. She sobbed her discontent, begging them to allow her rest, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as they continued working. Sweat drenched her brow as they wrapped her shoulders and arms in straight positions to keep them from moving.

Soon afterward, they dislocated her hips - it felt, perhaps, even worse than when they did her arms and shoulders. Her scream ripped through the room, and though she couldn't see him, Sesshomaru winced with every screech. They forced her knees back into place, and with the overbearing pain that filled her being to the core, she let go. She succumbed to the temporary coma they placed her under, a most welcome gift on her part.

They repeated everything they had done with Kagome to Sesshomaru. Though, it was much easier with him simply because of the fact that he was a youkai, albeit a malnourished one, but a youkai nonetheless. His pain tolerance was excellent in their eyes, allowing them to swiftly carry out their work. He did not rest until they were completely done, however, only succumbing when they had completely wrapped his own body.

"Are you done yet?" A woman's voice called. "I have a room set up for those two. Go ahead and place them in there, we shall await their consciousness. When they are ready, we will begin."

The woman's giggle could be heard echoing down the hallway, the giddiness in her voice hard to ignore. They didn't hesitate to carry out their mistress's orders, fulfilling them as quickly as they could manage. They deposited the two in a large futon in their new quarters, taking extra care to cover them fully with the sheets before leaving them to rest.

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_**I keep feeling the want to rush. You guys have no idea how long I've been holding back on posting this story... and I'm REALLY trying to take my time with it.**_


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